Label strip dispensing package



June 1, 1954 J. H. BISHOP, JR., ET AL 2,679,928

LABEL STRIP DISPENSING PACKAGE Filed June 25, 1951 FIG. I'.

f I4 l2 |0\m \N X 6 L 7 5 INVENTORS :g FlG- 6- JEROME II. BISHOP IR. '6 O W,/Ia MORRIS ENOIE 7,/ I v5 WM WZ/W ATTORNEYS Patented June 1, 1954 LABEL STRIP DISPENSING PACKAGE Jerome H. Bishop, Jr., and Morris Engle, Los

Angeles, Calif., assignors to Western Lithograph Company, Los Angeles, Calif., a corporation of California Application June 25, 1951, Serial No. 233,386

2 Claims. 1

This invention has to do with labels of the type which are temporarily adhered to a backing card by means of a non-drying or permanently tacky adhesive, and relates more particularly to a label device of this type which embodies novel means for facilitating stripping the labels from the backing card.

A difficulty which has been experienced with labels of this general type has -been that the labels tend to adhere so tenaciously to the backing card p (particularly when the labels become somewhat old) that, when stripped, either some of the adhesive remains on the backing card or portions of the card surface tear olf with the adhesive. This not only renders it difficult to remove the labels, but also interferes with their subsequent use since the labels do not then have a completely exposed and even layer of adhesive thereon. Various coating materials for the backing card have been proposed in an attempt to overcome this diiiiculty, but coatings have been ineffective because either the coating material tends to peel off the backing card surface with the adhesive as the label is stripped from the backing card or some of the adhesive of the labels remains attached to the coating material.

It is therefore an object of our invention to overcome those difficulties and to provide a label device in which the labels may be simply and easily removed from the backing card Without any part of the backing card surface being removed in course of stripping the label or any appreciable portion of the adhesive remaining on the backing card.

It is a further object to provide a label device of this character which enables the use of relatively inexpensive material for the backing card upon which labels are temporarily mounted for dispensing.

Other objects will become apparent hereinafter.

We have found that we can accomplish this result by using an ordinary somewhat stiff paper stock as the backing card and adhering thereto a cover or foundation sheet made of another suitable material, and then adhering the label strips to the cover sheet. We also provide on the backing card-stripping tabs partially underlying the labels, the tabs being so formed that, during the stripping, they cause the tearing force to be imparted in directions tending to prevent the adhesive from removing any portion of the foundation sheet or remaining on the sheet.

Without intending thereby to limit the scope of our invention, except as may appear from the annexed claims. we shall now describe a presently 2 preferred embodiment of the invention for which purpose we shall refer to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. l is a top plan view of our backing card as it appears after the stripping tabs are partially cut but before the label forming sheet is applied;

Fig. 2 is a View similar to Fig. l after the labelforming sheet has been applied;

Fig. 3 is a view like Fig. 2 except that the labelforming sheet is shown as having been cut into label strips;

Fig. 4 is a top plan View of the completed label device; and

Figs. 5 and 6, respectively, are sections taken on lines 5 5 and 6 6, respectively, of Fig. 4.

Referring now to the drawings, we show at 5 a somewhat stiff backing card which preferably is made of paper or paper board. A relatively thin cover or foundation sheet 6 is adhered to the top surface of the backing card as by an adhesive undercoating l. The cover or foundation sheet preferably should be of a material which is hard, smooth and water resistant, and we have found cellulosic materials, such as those commonly known in the trade as cellophane, to be well suited for the purpose. We have also found papers known in the trade as glassine paper to be well suited for the purpose. In other words, the sheet should be of a material which will not disintegrate or of which fragments may not be pulled off when its surface is placed under tension by stripping a label adhered thereto by a permanently tacky or non-drying adhesive. We have found that the entire body of the sheet 6 should 'be composed of such material instead of merely providing a coating of such material, because mere coatings tend to peel off as a label is stripped.

We provide a series of cuts 9 in the assembled sheets 5 and 6 as by means of a suitable cutting die (not shown) These cuts are arranged evenly spaced along one margin of the sheets and may conveniently be substantially semi-circular in shape. These cuts serve to outline what later will become stripping tabs as hereinafter appears.

In forming our product we next adhere to the cover sheet S, as by a coating of permanently tacky adhesive I0, a sheet Il of label-forming material such as paper, fabric or other flexible sheeting. The sheet Il, shown in Fig. 2 without any label indicia, is then cut, by cuts l2, into parallel transversely disposed label strips l. In performing this latter operation, it is our preference to place the thus assembled product on a platen (not shown) and, by use of a cutting die (not shown), cut entirely through the sheet Il but without the cutting die penetrating or cutting into the cover sheet 6 insofar as this latter can be avoided. The label strips may bear any desired indicia, for instance, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the indicia consists of the letter A.

The label-forming sheet il is somewhat narrower than the backing card but is sufficiently wide that a marginal portion thereof overlies the inner portions of the cuts 9. We next sever a marginal portion IB lying outwardly of the broken line l1 shown in Fig. 3 to complete the formation of our improved label. This operation completely severs the portions of the backing and cover sheets lying within the respective. cuts 9 from the remainder of these sheets thereby forming stripping tabs I8 (Fig. 4) which are then attached only to the respective labels i4.

Preferably, the tabs i8 should be of sufficient size to provide a convenient finger gripping surface outwardly beyond the ends of the label strips. Being substantially semi-circular, when it is desired to strip from the sheet B a given label strip, a pull upwardly and rearwardly on the stripping tab causes a stripping force to be applied from the center of the label outwardly, which more positively prevents any tendency of the cover sheet to disintegrate or the adhesive to remain on the cover sheet.

We claim:

1. A label device comprising a backing card, a cellulosic foundation sheet superimposed upon and adhered to the top surface of said card in covering relationship thereto, and a plurality of ilexible label strips adhered to said foundation sheet in parallel relationship by permanently tacky adhesive; said strips being disposed transversely of the foundation sheet and each terminating short of a side edge thereof, whereby to leave an exposed marginal side edge portion of said foundation sheet, and there being av plurality of longitudinally spaced semi-circular cuts in said marginal portion, one at the end of each label strip, severing from said foundation sheet and the underlying portion of the backing card a plurality of stripping tab portions the inner ends of which underlie and are adhered to the overlying end portions of said respective label strips and the outer ends of which project beyond said end portions of said respective label strips.

2. The method of making a label device which comprises forming a backing card, forming a cellulosic foundation sheet of a size (zo-extensive with the backing card, superimposing said foundation sheet upon and adhering it to said backing card in covering relationship thereto, forming in a marginal portion of said backing card and foundation sheet a plurality of longitudinally spaced, semi-circular slits terminating short of the contiguous side edge of said backing card and foundation sheet whereby to partially sever therefrom a plurality of stripping tabs, forming a label sheet of a width narrower than that of the foundation sheet, superimposing said label sheet upon and adhering it to said foundation sheet and to the inner ends of said tabs in a position to leave exposed a marginal portion of said foundation sheet and said tabs, and then making parallel tranverse cuts in said label sheet between said tabs whereby to separate the label sheet into individual label strips each having an end portion adhered to one of said tabs, and forming a longitudinal cut along the outer portion of said marginal portion of said foundation sheet and backing card and intersecting the outer ends of said first-mentioned slits whereby to completely sever said tabs from said foundation sheet and backing card.

References Cited in the flle of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,983,875 Prindle Dec. 1l, 1934 2,095,437 Fox Oct. 12, 1937 2,123,760 VJilShire July 12, 1938 2,237,346 Gilillan Apr. 8, 1941 2,246,984 Palmer June 24, 1941 2,248,317 Van Cleef July 8,1941 2,304,787 Avery Dec. l5, 1942 2,372,994 Welch Apr. 3, 1945 2,434,545 Brady et al Jan. 13, 1948 2,483,236 Rona Sept. 27, 1949 2,491,281 'Rowe Dec. 13, 1949 2,496,884 Miles Feb. 7, 1950 2,510,263 Stein June 6, 1950 2,511,303 Stevens et al June 13, 1950 2,565,944 Bergstein Aug. 28, 1951 2,566,249 Rainey et al. Aug. 28, 1951 2,568,458 Nichols Sept. 18, 1951 2,622,055 Lieder Dec. 16, 1952 

